The rush to the runoff: cash cascades into ad buys

Texas Senate race

Independent expenditure committees — which have exhausted millions in the Texas Senate Republican runoff race that will draw to a close Tuesday— have spent $841,418 just since Friday.

Cruz, who has benefited most from the groups, saw $516,418 in expenditures to help him get to Washington by beating establishment-backed Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, according to Federal Election Commission records.

The Club for Growth spent more than $505,000 of those funds on pro-Cruz television and Internet ad buys Friday. The limited-government group’s Super PAC has shown Cruz a lot of love this election season — $5.6 million worth.

Freedomworks for America put more than $11,000 more into the race as the weekend was hitting toward Cruz campaign travel and overhead costs.

Dewhurst’s sole helping hand from independent expenditure committees this weekend came from the Texas Conservatives Fund, led by Rob Johnson, the former campaign manager for Rick Perry’s flopped presidential bid. That group put $325,000 into anti-Cruz ads Sunday.